League format

The inaugural season consisted of a 21-game regular season, with the first and second place teams facing off in a one-game playoff for the championship. All teams are based in the Yuma, Arizona area playing all games at Desert Sun Stadium and utilizing the Ray Kroc Complex which used to house the
San Diego Padres and Yakult Swallows
spring training operations. The league is for players out of college or university and other players who are looking for professional contracts either from independent leagues,
Minor League Baseball or
Major League Baseball. It is an instructional winter league that includes a number of ex-major league stars as managers and instructors including
Mike Marshall,
Garry Templeton,
Ozzie Virgil Jr.,
Les Lancaster,
Darrell Evans, and
Cory Snyder, most of whom manage independent league teams in the North American, American Association, and Frontier Leagues or are coaches in the minor league system for big league clubs. All the managers draft and sign players to pro contracts at the end of the AWL for their leagues and teams.

At the conclusion of each Arizona Winter League, the top players are drafted and signed to professional contracts for the upcoming summer season. In the first five years, over 225 players have left the AWL with professional contracts. Many with independent teams, but several with major league teams, European professional teams, and teams in Latin America and Asia. Two pitchers from the 2007 Arizona Winter League,
Scott Richmond and
Sergio Romo have reached the major leagues pitching for the
Toronto Blue Jays and
San Francisco Giants respectively in 2008.

The league was a surprising source of players for the GBL and major league organizations in its first season as 37 players were signed by independent pro teams and the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox also signed players out of the AWL as well.

2008 Season

AWL logo (2008-2010)

For the 2008 season, the league added two expansion teams, the
Blythe Heat and
Palm Springs Chill, the Sonora Surf Dawgs reverted to the previously-known
San Diego Surf Dawgs and the Snow Falcons were renamed the
Sonora Pilots. The Heat and Chill play their home games at respective California ballparks. In addition, the league expanded beyond its affiliation with the Golden Baseball League and had Can-Am League, Frontier League, Northern League, and American Association teams represented in the instructor ranks and eligible to draft players at the end of the AWL. Over 40 players were drafted and signed by independent, foreign professional, and major league organizations.

2009 Season: Format Change

For the 2009 season, the league expanded once again and added two more teams, the
San Luis Atleticos and the
Saskatchewan Silver Sox. In addition, the
Sonora Pilots did not return in 2009 and were replaced by
Team Canada. The 2009 AWL started a new format with two divisions: The International Division had Team Canada, Western Canada, Saskatchewan, and San Luis, while the American Division comprised Palm Springs, San Diego, Blythe (defending champions), and Yuma. The 20-game season finished up on February 27 and then had a single-elimination semi-final between the top two teams from each Division. A championship game the next night, which is the winter highlight event in Yuma each year and heavily attended, pitted the semi-final winners in a winner-take-all game. A record 47 players were drafted and signed out of the 2009 AWL.

2010 Season: Record Player Signings and MLB Teams Take Notice

For the 2010 season, eight teams return once again to the AWL. With the Golden Baseball League's Calgary Vipers replacing the Palm Springs Chill, who were dropped. The league will now feature an American Division consisting of the Yuma Scorpions, Blythe Heat, San Luis Atleticos, and San Diego Surf Dawgs. In addition, a full Canadian Division will feature the Vipers, Team Canada, the Western Canada Miners, and the Saskatchewan Silver Sox. The El Centro Imperials were also dropped.[3]

More heavily stocked than ever with pro team instructors and managers who will be signing players, the AWL in 2010 coaches from the Golden Baseball League, the Frontier League, the American Association, the Can-Am League, the Mexican Liga Del Norte, the Northern League, the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Recognizable major league alumni working as instructors and player placement consultants include Mike Marshall, Garry Templeton, Cory Snyder, Tim Johnson, Boots Day, Les Lancaster, Brooks Carey, Brent Bowers, Ozzie Virgil and many more. Boston Red Sox scout Nick Belmonte and Detroit Tigers' hitting coordinator Dave Marcon will be running the spring training section of the league the first week.

On December 15 it was announced that Japanese female pitching sensation
Eri Yoshida, who became the first female professional pitcher in her home country last summer, will bring her sidearm knuckleball and participate in the 2010 AWL in hopes of attracting the attention of U.S. teams. This should be a tremendous benefit for all the players as the media attention and scout attendance should increase greatly.

On February 10, 2010 the New York Mets signed San Luis Atleticos shortstop Rylan Sandoval at the Arizona Winter League and the following week, the Mexico City Red Devils of the top Mexican League signed Yuma Scorpions catcher Ivan Villaescusa. On February 27, the Calgary Vipers became the first team in history to win both the Golden Baseball League Championship and the Arizona Winter League Championship by beating San Luis, 8-1, in the championship game shortened to eight innings by rain. More impressive is that the team did this within one year.

A record number of 59 players were signed to contracts (not just invited to spring training) by 18 teams from independent, European, and Latin American professional leagues. In addition four players were signed by major league baseball organizations—Rylan Sandoval (Mets), Brandon Fowler (Padres), Jay Broughton (Red Sox), Matthew Wedge (Oxbridge) and Andrew Snowdon (Phillies). During the summer of 2010 an additional 32 2010 AWL players that weren't drafted and signed at the AWL took advantage of the post-league AWL Placement Program and were signed and played professional baseball.

The smaller AWL sister league called the
Arizona Summer League had all 52 players signed and played for professional teams this season.

2011: New teams arrive and league expands to 10

AWL logo (2011)

The AWL announced on January 5, 2011, their upcoming season schedule which shows that league expanding to ten teams as the Texas Winter League was folded into the AWL, adding three new teams and bringing one back.[4] The
Sonora Pilots returned after a two-year absence while the
Long Beach Armada moved from the Golden Baseball League and two new teams, the
Arizona RoadRunners and
Team Mexico, were added to replace the Calgary Vipers and San Luis Atleticos respectively.[5] The Yuma Scorpions captured their third AWL title since the league's inception, continuing their run as the only team to win more than one championship.

League Alumni

In five seasons over 220 AWL players have been signed to professional contracts. They have been signed by every independent pro league in the U.S.; foreign leagues in Mexico, Italy, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Holland, and Denmark; and by major league organizations including the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, Giants, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Royals. Two AWL players have made it all the way to the major leagues, they were both from the 2007 AWL: